"Shutting down the media, closing the airport and the fighting that spread to several areas in Lebanon has caused a lot of suffering and the death of many innocent citizens," Lahoud ( pictured) said. "What Hezbollah did has caused Lebanon to suffer its biggest military clashes since the end of civil war and has endangered the safety of all the Lebanese."

Lahoud asked the army to take charge of the situation. "The only solution for this situation is for everyone to stop the fighting immediately and allow the army to take the place of all gunmen in maintaining the security on the ground. The army taking control is the only security that the people want."

Lahoud said he feared that the people had lost their faith in their democratic institutions in light of the threat of occupation by gunmen and the return to the civil war "that ruined Lebanon for 15 years."

"The thing that scares us the most is that the attack on Beirut has opened the door for people to use arms to force a political view," the statement added.

"The priority is to stop our country from sliding into war and to treat this wound that now afflicts the Lebanese public as a result of the military attack launched by Hezbollah."

Lahoud concluded by saying the only way to launch a new, reconciliatory phase was to end all fighting immediately. "The steps that Hezbollah will take in the next couple of days will set the future tone for the country."

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